Madison, Wis. (July 12) – Looking to salvage a two-game series split with their South Division opponent, field manager Donnie Scott and the Madison Mallards (6-4, 26-19) will play host to the Battle Creek Bombers (3-8, 16-30) Sunday at Warner Park. This afternoon’s contest, scheduled for 4:05 p.m., will be Princess Night at Warner Park with an appearance from Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. Kids 12 and under in costume will receive a free standing-room only ticket.
Last night, the Mallards fell victim to a slim 2-1 loss to the Bombers in the series opener. Battle Creek starting pitcher Jordan Knutson (Missouri State) received the winning decision after allowing one run in 7.1 innings in which he struck out 11 Madison hitters. Nate Hoffmann (Middle Tennessee State) took the loss despite logging his fifth quality start of the summer (5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, BB, 5 K), while Madison’s lineup went a combined 5-for-31 (.161) at the plate against the Bombers staff.
Looking to build off Hoffmann’s strong performance, Andrew Beckwith (Coastal Carolina) will receive his fifth starting appearance of the summer in Sunday’s finale. Beckwith, a 6-foot-0 right-hander from Blythewood, Car., enters tonight’s contest on the heels of a July 6 start in Alexandria in which he ceded four runs in two innings en route to a losing decision. Beckwith is no stranger to the Bombers, having allowed five runs in 3.2 frames on June 16 at C.O. Brown Stadium. Overall, he is 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 14:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio across his first seven games.
To counter, the Bombers will call upon left-handed pitcher Andrew Mitchell (Auburn) to make his eighth Northwoods League start on Sunday. Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 southpaw originally from New Orleans, La., is 0-3 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over his first seven starts of the summer, though has performed well in several other respects. The sophomore-to-be has posted a 36:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 33.1 frames, during which opponents have tagged him with just a .240 batting average and .262 slugging percentage.
- Kaelin Finds his Groove – Mallards reliever Mike Kaelin (Buffalo) pitched two scoreless inning of relief in Saturday’s opener, fanning five of six total batters faced and allowing no hitters to reach base. The strong performance boosted Kaelin’s season strikeout-to-walk ratio to a sterling 35:1 and shrunk his ERA to a team-best 1.56. Opponents have posted a .173 batting average and .198 on-base percentage against Kaelin this summer.
In addition to tonight’s appearance from Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, Sunday’s contest will feature a Rubber Duck Giveaway presented by Charter Communications, St. Mary’s An Apple A Day Giveaway and Petting Zoo Sundays outside the front gates of the stadium. For tickets to tonight’s game, call the Mallards ticket office at 608-246-4277 or visit www.MallardsBaseball.com for more information. Unable to attend? Follow the Mallards on Twitter at @MadisonMallards or tune in to 100.5 FM ESPN Madison’s comprehensive play-by-play coverage.
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The Madison Mallards are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.MallardsBaseball.com.
